Month: February 2012

And if Manning departs from the franchise that he led to the land of success, you can expect a lot of teams to look at bringing Manning in to win a championship.

While Colts owner Jim Irsay made numerous comments about getting a new deal done with Manning to help their cap situation, it still looks like a deal will not get done. If that happens, watch general managers sprint to the phones to get a deal out to him.

The Washington Redskins really seem to be the team to top the list of franchises willing to give Manning a contract. Being in a quarterback-loaded NFC East presents a challenge to the Redskins who play against Michael Vick, Tony Romo and Eli Manning. If Shanahan wants to bring the Redskins to the next level, he needs to get a reliable passer to kickstart the offense.

Washington’s willingness to get Manning in may not mean that much to the future Hall of Famer, who has earned a considerable amount of money from the Colts. Instead, Manning might consider going to a team that only has one missing piece: a quarterback. No team fits that description better than the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona passed on Blaine Gabbert in last year’s NFL Draft to get LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson. No one questions Peterson’s solid rookie performance, but many questioned why the Cardinals did not select Gabbert. The threat of an NFL lockout loomed over the draft and forced many teams to grab a quarterback early. In the first 12 picks, Carolina (Cam Newton), Tennessee (Jake Locker), Jacksonville (Blaine Gabbert) and Minnesota (Christian Ponder) all chose quarterbacks. Arizona, at pick five, did not. Instead, they traded for former Philadelphia Eagles backup Kevin Kolb after the lockout ended. Kolb’s performance in Arizona left many feeling underwhelmed.

Matching up Peyton Manning with Larry Fitzgerald is nothing more than an absolute dream for offensive coaches. And Ken Whisenhunt wants to make that dream a reality.

That might be why Whisenhunt hired Frank Reich, the Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach in 2009-10, as the team’s wide receivers coach. Already the Cardinals are bringing in people that Manning is familiar with, which would make the transition easier.

Another team being rumored for Manning services is an Indianapolis Colts AFC South rival: the Houston Texans. Some reporters have tried to discourage the notion that the Texans would be interested in acquiring Manning, but Schaub’s history of injuries should at least make the Texans’ management look into the possibility. And just like the pairing of Manning with Fitzgerald, a combination of Manning to Andre Johnson would be an equally exciting thought.

With a top five NFL defense already in place, the Texans feel that they can make a legitimate run for the championship if they can keep a reliable quarterback healthy. If the reports of Manning’s interest in going to Houston are true, then expect the Texans to follow up and offer Manning a contract.

The Super Bowl’s conclusion brings up an incredible argument, something that most NFL fans never thought would be an issue.

Who would have thought that after the Super Bowl, people would be discussing which Manning was better?

If this debate came up years ago, it would not be a debate at all. In fact, anyone who claimed that New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was the better of the two, it would be considered either an outlandish or idiotic statement.

And people from that era would have a good point, too. Peyton’s resume’ speaks for itself. Peyton Manning broke countless records and led the Colts to several consecutive AFC South championships. His place in the Hall of Fame is not questioned.

Yet so many people measure the success of a quarterback by the number of championship rings he wears. Peyton has one, but now Eli has two.

The NFL is a passing league. So with all the records and successes that Peyton Manning achieved, how much more will Eli be given credit? In truth, he should not get as much as he will.

Make no doubt about it, Eli elevated himself to an elite level after another Super-Bowl MVP award. But when you consider that the building that Eli played the Super Bowl in was built because of the success from his older brother, that really puts things in perspective.

Kurt Warner said recently that Eli Manning is still not a lock for the Hall of Fame until Manning can perform at a high level on a consistent basis.

So while another Super Bowl victory is a tremendous accomplishment for Eli Manning, it’s still not enough to consider the youngest as the best.